Sony faced a significant issue with the Xperia 1 VII, which went on sale at the beginning of July. The company has pulled the device from the market following reports of sudden shutdowns, random restarts, and in some cases, complete failure to power on. After investigating the root cause of the problem, Sony has finally reached a conclusion.

Sony to Offer Free Replacement for Xperia 1 VII Devices

The investigation revealed that the affected Xperia 1 VII units were experiencing a defect in the circuit board. Sony confirmed that this issue stemmed from the manufacturing process, causing the phone to unexpectedly stop functioning. In response, the company has launched a free replacement program to prevent further inconvenience for affected users.

Sony acknowledged that the fault in the circuit board was directly linked to the manufacturing process and stated that the issue has been addressed and corrected for all future production. The company guaranteed that newly manufactured units will not experience the same problem. In its statement, Sony also extended a formal apology to customers for the inconvenience caused.

To find out if their Xperia 1 VII is eligible for replacement, users need to check their IMEI number via a dedicated verification portal. The replacement process will begin on July 21 for users whose devices are confirmed to be affected. Sony also strongly advises users to back up their data before sending in their phones for replacement.

Here is the official statement from the company:

“Our investigation has concluded that the manufacturing process may have caused a circuit board defect in a limited number of Xperia 1 VII smartphones, potentially leading to power-related issues. The process has been immediately revised to ensure this does not happen again. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers.”